This invention relates to automotive suspensions and, more particularly, to an improved upper mount for hydraulic suspension shock absorbers providing a single unit arrangement for vehicle assembly line installation together with integrated jounce and rebound stops together and increased stroke length.
An example of one low profile suspension strut is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,587 issued May 31, 1988 to Farrell and assigned to the assignee of the present application. The Farrell patent disclosed a strut isolator and jounce bumper upper mount providing a compact resilient assembly adaptable for a vehicle having a reduced hood line.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,370 issued Jan. 7, 1992 to McClellan is an example of a vehicle front suspension strut having integrated jounce and rebound stops. In the McClellan patent, the suspension spring rebound load is placed on a lower rebound stop member of the mount and the suspension jounce load is placed on an upper jounce stop member of the mount.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,730 issued Jun. 19, 1990 to Okuzumi is an example of a vehicle front suspension strut wherein the upper end of the strut piston rod is engaged in an inner sleeve of a mount insulator for limited axial movement relative to the inner sleeve.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,655 issued Jun. 23, 1981 to Lederman discloses a resilient mount for a MacPherson strut comprising an annular mounting plate, an elastomeric ring, a central sleeve with an attached end plate, and a ball thrust bearing. The mounting plate, central sleeve and the upper bearing ring of the thrust bearing are bonded to the elastomeric ring forming a sub-assembly. The mounting plate has a central cup-shaped portion which is embedded in the elastomeric ring and trapped between an enlarged head of the sleeve and the end plate. The elastomeric ring has integral flexible sealing lips at its lower end which retain the bearing elements and lower ring.